Feed-beguiator



E. R. DRAVER.

FEED REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I6. 1916.

1,307, 349. Patented June 24, I919.

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ZZZneiSfi I IWIZZar a M [M/LRJRHVER By his 4520 rizqs E. R. DRAVER.

' FEED REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED DEC. Is. 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- 15 42/0220? Emu. R. 090'? 116/? B hiJ/IZZOWJ Patented June 24, 1919.

' sides of the casing,

'vided with a large ratchetwheel 12.

OFFICE.

EMIL It. DRAVER, 0F RICHMOND, INDIANA.

rEED-REGnLA'ron Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24., 1919.

Application filed December 16, 1916. Serial No. 137,431.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMIL R. DRAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Feed-Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to feed devices for use in feeding various materials in predetermined regulated quantities; and to such ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices illustrated, described and defined in the claims.

Feed devices of this character are especially adapted for use in sets with one feed device for supplying each of several materials in predetermined quantities for the purpose of blending or mixing the same. As specific samples of the use thereof, may be noted the blending of different grades or kinds of fiour or the mixing of different ground cereals for breakfast foods, the mixing in proper proportions of coarse ground cereals and other substances and molasses in the production of stock foods, the blending of different kinds and grades of coffee, the mixing of sand, gravel and cement for concrete, etc.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indi cate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved feeder, some parts being broken away Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of the feeder;

to rotate within this casing 9 is a feed drum 10, the shaft 11 of which is journaled in and projects through suitable bearings on the and, at one end, is pro- The feed drum 10 is provided with peripheral pockets 10, that may vary both in sub-partitions 10 size, depth and arrangement, very greatly depending on the nature of the in: terial to be fed. In the form of the feed drum shown in Figs. 1 to 1, inclusive, the peripheral pockets 10 thereof, are formed by providing the heads of the drum with outwardly projecting perimeters and connecting the same by partition plates 10 that extend parallel to the axis of the drum and that extend circumferentially of the drum.

The feed drum is arranged to be rotated in the direction of the arrow marked thereon in Fig. 2, and the partition ribs 10", instead of extending in cross section radially from the axis of the drum. are given a downward pitch, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to thereby increase the tendency thereof to discharge the load on the delivery side of the drum, towit; on the righthand side of the drum, as shown in Fig. 2.

The material or stock to be fed is delivered to the casing 9 through a supply pipe 13 which opens into an extended hopper-like side portion 9 of the said casing, at one side of a vertical line drawn through the axis of the feed drum; and here it is important to note that the said casing 9 is provided with a discharge opening 9 that is located on the opposite side of the said vertical line. Otherwise stated. the said inlet and outlet passages of the casing are nearly or entirely at opposite sides of the axis of the drum. This arrangement is important.

In its upper portion, the casing 9 is provided with a shield or segmental retaining surface l-l preferably made of sheet metal and having its upper and lower edges bent around transverse supporting rods 15, the ends of which are supported by the sides of the casing.

The concave surface of this shield 14 quite closely follows the line of travel in the extreme outer edge portions of the perimet-ers of the heads of the feed drum and the partition flanges 10 and 10, but the exact spac ing will vary in machines designed for feeding different materials. In circumferential extent, the shield 14 is somewhat greater than the circumferential distance between the partition flanges 10, so that there Will, at no time, be a free unobstructed passage over the top of the feed drum.

The lower wall of the casing 9 is prefera'bly formed with a segmental portion extending downward from the point marked a to a point marked Z), on Fig. 2. This portion ab is also of circumferential extent greater than the circumferential distance between partition flanges 10", and the spacing employ a variable speed feed mechanism disclosed and claimed in my Patent N 0. 1,215,506, granted of date, February 13, 1917, entitled Variable speedmechanism. The parts of this variable speed mechanism may, therefore, be briefly described as follows:

For direct cooperation withthe ratchet wheel 12, which constitutes va part of the said variable speed mechanism and which, it will be remembered, is secured on the feed drum shaft 11, there is a pair of reversely acting levers 16 pivoted on said shaft 11 and provided with reversely acting ratchet dogs or pawls 17. The outer ends of these levers 16 are connected by links 18 to a crosshead 19 that is mounted to slide on a rocker arm- 20 secured to a shaft 21 mounted to oscillate e rocker arm 20 is graduated to indicate the positions of the crosshead 19 and the said crosshead is arranged to be adjusted longi-' tudinally of said arms by means'of a screw rod 23 swiveled to a depending lug on the said rocker arm. The rocker arm 20 is given a constant vibratory movement through a link 24 and a crank arm 25, which 1n bearings 22 on the sides of the casing 9. 35 Th the drum, thematerial carried by the pocket thereof will 'be dipped from said pockets, progressively, or in succession, as the pockets are moved below the shield or surface 14.

Fig. 4 shows a drum like that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 except that the intermediate circumferential extended partitions are omitted, and Fig. 5 shows a drum'like that illustrated in Fig. 1, exceptthat the pockets of the drum are formed by beveled partitions 9 that give the drum a sort of a ratchetlike peripheral surface. Furthermore, the dumping of the material from the said pockets will have an overlapping action, that is, the one will begin its dumping action before the next has completed its dumping action, so that there will be a than an intermittent'or pulsating feeding action. This evenness of feed is very important, especially when plurality of machines are used to feed to a common receptacle or place, various different materials that are to be blended or mixed in definite proportions.

What I claim is:"

1. A feeding device of the kind described comprising a casing havin inlet and discharge passages, and a rum rotatively mounted in said casing, said drum having pocket-forming flanges that are parallel to its axis, and said casing having a surface that follows the periphery of said drum and terminates in a delivery edge that is oblique to a plane radiating from the axis of the drum.

2. In a feed device of the kind described, the combination with a casing having inlet and discharge passages, of a feed drum rotatively mounted in said casing and having longitudinal peripheral flanges forming peripheral pockets that are movable past said inlet and discharge passages, said casing having an internal shield that follows the periphery of said drum and in the vicinity of said discharge passage, said shield having a terminal edge on a line that bears an continuous and even discharge or feed of the material, rather oblique relation to the peripheral partition flanges and pockets of said feed drum.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- EMIL R. DRAVER. Witnesses:

CLARA DEMEREST,

Bremen G. WHEELER. 

